Cotton-chopping attachment for cultivators.



PATENTED MAY 19; 1903.

APPLICATION IILEDYOOT. 24. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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.UNITED. STATES CHARLES WILLIAM MoMILLAN,

Patented May 19, 1903.

or ADA, INDIAN TERRITORY.

COTTON-SHOPPING ATTACHMENT FOR vCULTIVATCJ RS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 728,405, datedMay 19, 1903.

Application filed October 24,1902. Serial lie- 128,561. (No model.) i

To all whom it may conorrt: Be it known that I, CHARLES WILLIAMMO- MILLAN, a citizen of the United.States,resid-1 ing at Ada, Chickasaw Nation,' Indian-T erri-tory, have invented a.new and useful Cotton-Chopping Attachment for-Oultivfators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cotton-chopping attachments for cultivators; and" it has for its object to provide a device of this class which although it may be constructed in such a manner as to form an integral part of the cultivating device shall also be capable of being applied to cultivators of ordinary construction without involving the necessity of a side elevation of a cultivator equipped with my improved cotton-chopping attachment, the near wheel having been removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view to illustrate the construction of the choppinghoe.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by similar numerals of refer 1 designates the axle or axle-frame, 2 the wheels, 8 the tongue, 4: the standards, and 5 the adjusting-levers, ofan ordinary cultivator. Itshould be distinctly understood at the outset that I do not claim these members as part of my invention and also that I do not in which is within the ordinary skill of a mechanic.

Suitably. mounted upon the hub of one of the" traction-Wheels is a sprocket-wheel 6, from which motion is com municated by means ofa chain 7 to a smaller sprocket-Wheel 8 upon the end of a shaft 9, the .boxes or bearings for which, 10, are mounted upon a block or supporting piece 11. The latter is supported upon the approximately horizontal arms 12 of a pair of cranks :13, formed at the ends of a shaft 14, which has its bearings on top. of the cultivator-tongue 3, which is here shownas being of the bifurcated species. The crank-arms 12 are provided with slots 15 to'receive the headed adjusting screws or bolts, by means of which they support the block 11, which latter is thus made capable of sliding adjustment. The shaft 14 also has an upwardly-extending arm 16, connected by a rod 17 with an adjusting-lever 18, preferably fulcrumed upon the axle-frame of the oultivatorand which is provided with an ordinary spring-actuated dog or. pawl 19, en-

, gaging, the segment-rack 20, by means of which thecrankshaft 14 and its related parts may be retained at any desired adjustment. The shaft 9 is provided at its inner end with a bevel-pinion 21, meshing with a bevel-pinion 22 upon the upper end ofa shaft 23, which is journaled verticallyin the supporting-block 11. Rigidly secured to the shaft 23 is the upper end of a stout coiled spring 24, the

lower end ofwhich is likewise rigidly secured to the upper end of a shaft 25, journ'aled in the upper Wall of a box or casing 26 and carrying within the said casing a pinion 27. The shaft 2901: the chopping-hoe is journaled longitudinally in the box or casing 26,

and it carries a pinion 28,}.meshing With the pinion. 27, from which it receives motion. Theshaft 28 carries at its rear end the hub 29of the c opping-hoe, which is mounted loosely thereon and'which is providedat its front end Witlrone of themembers 30 of the friction-clutch, the other member of which,

31, isheldin contact therewith by'means of a spring-32, coiled upon the shaft 28 andbearing against a collar 33 upon the latter. The

adjacent faces of the clutch members are corrugated in snch a manner that ordinarily the chopping-hoe will be connected with the shaft with sufficient tenacity to cause it to revolve therewith operatively, while in the event of a too-solid object being struck the springactuated clutch member 31 will yield sufficiently to permit the shaft to revolve without injury to the hoe.

The hub 29 of the hoe is preferably provided with a plurality of longitudinal dovetailed grooves 34 to receive the correspondingly-shaped inner ends of the spokes 35,upon the outer end of which the hoe-blades or choppers 36 are mounted. Said blades may be of any desirable construction, and one or more may be used, as may be desired.

Suitably secured to the under side of the tongue 3 of the cultivator and depending therefrom is a rod or bracket 37, the lower end of which is connected by a ball-and-socket joint or other suitable universal joint 38 with a suitably-constructed lever -bar 39, with which the box or casing 26 is rigidly connected. The lever-bar 39 is extended rearwardly, so as to be within reach of the driver, whose seat is indicated at 40 and who may operate the said lever-bar 39 either manually or pedally, as may be preferred.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed. It is preferred that the chopping attachment shall be normally suspended several inches above the ground by the action of a supporting-spring 41, which connects the lever 39 with the under side of the supportingblock 11. WVhen the machine is in operation, rotary motion is transmitted from the traction-wheel 2, having the sprocket-wheel 6, to the shaft 9, having the sprocket-wheel S and pinion 21, thence by the pinion 22 to the shaft 23 and to the coiled spring 24, connected with said shaft. The said coiled spring in turn transmits motion to the shaft carrying the pinion 27, meshing with the pinion 29 upon the shaft 28 of the hoe, which is thereby rotated. It has already been explained how, in the event of obstructions being encountered, the shaft 28 may rotate independently of the hoe, and thus without injury to the latter. To cause the revolving hoe to operate upon the row of plants, the rear end of the carrying-lever 39 is depressed by the operator against the tension of the springs 41 and 24, and it will be noticed that owing to'the flexible connections the hoe is capable of being adjusted laterally as well as vertically by pressure upon the lever 39, exerted in the proper direction, thus enabling the operator to guide the hoe properly into engagement with the row of plants to be operated upon and which is intermittently chopped out in the usual manner, leaving intermediate stands the desired distance apart. As soon as the operator releases the pressure upon the lever 39 the chopping device is restored by the springs 41 and 24 to its normal inoperative position. By means of the lever 18 and its related parts the chopping device may be still further elevated, so as to be out of the way while the device is being transported from one place to another.

I desire it to be understood that while I have described the preferred form of my invention I do not limit myself with regard to the structural details of the same, but reserve the right to any changes and modifications which may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention or sacrificing the utility thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a cotton-chopping attachment for cultivators, a supporting-block, meansfor adjusting, and retaining the same in adjusted position, a shaft j ournaled vertically in said block, means for transmitting motion to the same, a suitably-supported movable casing, a shaft journaled vertically in said casing, a coiled spring connecting said shaft with the vertical shaft of the supporting-block, a shaft journaled longitudinally in the movable casing and carrying the chopping means, and a pinion upon said shaft, within the casing, meshing with a pinion upon the vertical shaft in said casing.

2. In a cotton-chopping attachment for cultivators, a box or casing supporting the chopping mechanism, a lever-arm carrying said casing and connected by a universal joint with a supporting arm or bracket,an adjustably mounted supporting block having a shaft receiving motion from the source of power, and flexible means for transmitting motion from said shaft to the shaft carrying the chopping means.

3. In a cotton-chopping attachment for cultivators, a supporting-block having a shaft receiving motion from the source of power,a box or casing supporting the chopping mechanism, a lever supporting said casing, aspring connecting said lever with the supportingblock and flexible means for transmitting motion from the shaft upon the latter to the chopping mechanism supported in the casing.

4. In a cotton-chopping attachment for cultivators, a supporting-lever having a universal joint, a spring supporting the free end of said lever within reach of the operator, a casing attached to said lever, a shaft journaled longitudinally in said casing, a hub mounted loosely upon said shaft, carrying the chopping-hoes and provided with a friction-clutch member, a spring-actuated clutch member mounted upon the shaft and engaging the clutch member of the hub, and means, including a flexible member, for transmitting motion from the source of power to the shaft carrying the chopping means.

5. A cotton-chopping attachment for culti vators, including a spring-supported lever the fulcrum of which constitutes a universal joint, a casing carried by said lever and carryin g a shaft upon which the chopper is loosely mounted, friction means to connect said chopper with theshaft, and means in-.

cluding a flexible member for transmitting motion between the source of power and the chopper-shaft.

6. A cotton-chopping attachment for ultivators,including a spring-supported lever,the fulcrum of which constitutes a universal joint, a casing attached to said lever and car? rying a. shaft upon which the chopper is mounted, and 'means, including a coiled spring, for transmitting -motion from the source of power to the chopper-shaft, said coiled spring serving additionally to support the casing in which said shaft is journaled.

In testimony that I claim the foregoin'g'as i 5 my own I have hereto aff xed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WILLIAM MGMILLAN.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. BEARD, GEO. F. J oHNsoN. 

